Somali team wins football tournament

A team of Somalis currently residing in Malta were the winners of a 5-a-side football tournament organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS Malta) yesterday. The half-day tournament, which took place at the St Aloysius College Sports Complex, attracted several Maltese teams as well as a team composed of Eritreans, and the winning Somali team.

A separate 11-a-side match between the JRS team, composed of young men from the African continent, and a team of players from the Hal Far open centre for asylum seekers concluded the morning. The JRS team won with a score of 4-3.

The event, entitled 'Pitch of Hope', marked the first anniversary since the setting up of the JRS football team for asylum seekers. The coordinator of the tournament, Jaroslaw Mikuczewski SJ, a Polish Jesuit currently serving with JRS Malta, said that 'this was a great opportunity for Maltese football players to meet with refugees and asylum seekers and share in a common spirit of sport and friendship.'

The JRS football team (yellow shirts) play during the 11-a-side match against a team from the Hal Far open centre